"Are you sure that's wise? These are children we're talking about…wait, did my kid hear about what happened to her grandmother?""No, that's not how it works, Catalina is too smart for that, to just sit and listen. That's why you saw a readout of the meet. The device she used transfers audio to text. Since I know where and what it is, I can turn it off when I need to, and it wouldn't show on her end.""Had she been listening in, that would've been a different story. I'll demonstrate later so you'd see what I'm talking about. You didn't touch anything in there did you? I don't want them to know that I know what they're doing. Since you already know what they and their friend in Asia have already uncovered, you should know what they're capable of. I'm just giving them what they need to carry out whatever it is they have planned.""But, they're eight.""And when you were eight, you were already very proficient with a bow and arrow." I raised my brow at her at about the same time h
"Hey, Pothead, a minute of your time." I caught him bright and early the next morning when he, Cyrus, and Drake were on their way to the beach for a run. Everyone else is in work mode, but these three are on some kind of holiday. Don't get me started on Elena and her sh*t .I refused to look at him since he'd foregone a shirt and was wearing shorts more suited to a man half his age. But since I wasn't here to rip him a new one for being an embarrassment, something I've had to live with my whole f*cking life, I let that sh*t slide."Hey, Colt, what's up, son?" He did some stretches and a little jogging in place action, and I barely refrained from rolling my eyes."Why didn't you or mom tell me that you're cousins?" He stopped moving and stared at me, open-mouthed."Who told you about that?""What if one of my kids came out with a third eye or some sh*t ?"He had the nerve to laugh like he thought I was being funny. "First of all, your mom and I are distant cousins, perfectly
Oh, he's still pissed. I don't know what he expected. Did he really think I was going to sleep with him? To be fair, that's not what he'd asked. But to sleep in a bed with him keeping watch in a chair next to it was pretty much the same thing to me. Last night I'd been too tired and emotionally drained, so I let him get too close. But by the time we landed here in the early morning hours, I had myself together.I looked around the room after seeing the toddler in Lyon's arms, feeling a little more at ease but not by a whole lot. Since the women were on the beach, I decided on a different tactic. According to how they handle this next request, I'll know whether or not I'll be fighting my way out of here."I need to call my uncle, let him know I'm okay or he'll worry.""Sure, but first, hand it over." The Mancini guy held out his hand with a smirk, and my cheeks reddened. How did he know?"I don't know what you're talking about." He started to walk towards me, and Jason got betwe
She pulled me down a long hallway that had most of the doors closed to what I was sure were all bedrooms. The place was huge, which I'd seen from the outside when we landed in the dark. All I knew for sure is that we were near the ocean because I could smell it, could feel that certain breeze that comes only with clean, fresh sea air. Something I hadn't felt since before my dad died.We used to travel a lot when he wasn't deployed and then of course after....after I was taken, there was no traveling any further than the other houses in the neighborhood where the kids that were held there were suffering the same fate as I. It felt almost sacrilegious to have those thoughts while holding hands with the kid who had yet to let me go. We came to a door that was slightly open, and she eased it open further and walked in. "Lily!" She hiss whispered at the lump on the bed. Another little girl rolled over and rubbed at her eyes before they popped open. "Did Nia call already?" She sat up wh
I wish I had his confidence, his absolute belief in me. I wish even more that I'd been better prepared for what she makes me feel. It doesn't seem real that in the space of a few measly hours, she could've turned my well-laid plans on their head. Even now, she's only been gone out of my sight for a few minutes, and already I was feeling that now-familiar itch between my shoulder blades.It started last night when she slammed the door and locked it between us. The second I didn't have eyes on her and couldn't get to her, I got this damn itch. It took all my control not to break the door down to get to her, and even though I knew she was safe, that no one could get by me to reach her, it wasn't the same as being next to her."I'll think about what you said, but don't tell Ash, not yet.""You're an idiot if you think she's not going to notice something straight off the bat. And from what I've heard in the last few hours since coming here, these women stay on top of sh*t . It won't b
I met my wife at the door when she came back from the beach with her friends. I took the baby from her arms and gave my sweet little girl a kiss on both cheeks as I walked towards the lower office, with my wife on my heels. "Did you two have fun?""Yes, we did, our girl was the perfect little angel, weren't you honey. In fact, all of the kids were. I never knew mommy yoga could be so much fun.""I'm glad you enjoyed it. Shawna is an expert at such things." She's also a kickass marksman, but the women don't need to know that, no more than they need to know that each time they step outside the door, they have a shadow. My people are trained well enough not to be seen or heard, which is something the other men gathered here on the island are grateful for, I'm sure.Of course, Lyon had to test them, since as he said, he had more skin in the game with nine kids, his parents, in-laws, Cy, and of course, his wife. I'm pretty sure had it only been Kat and him, he'd have done the same. Hi
As far as they know, he worked for some shadow government team before going maverick, which none of it is true. As much as I want to give Marcus the peace of mind to bring his brother and nephews in, I'm hurrying that along for the sole purpose of getting Roman, Catalina, and her grandfather together in a lab. But that's another story. Right now, my main focus is to get this first meet between my wife and Roxana out of the way so that we can move on. I'm not sure what the girl's plans are after she does what she came here to do, but I'm sure Jason isn't about to let her leave here. That little hiccup wasn't planned for. I didn't foresee the two of them getting together, didn't know the boy was going to fall ass over heels in love with her at first sight, but if she turns out to be a good one, as I've come to expect, then it works out perfectly."Breakfast should be ready soon, let's go find the others.""Are we eating on the lanai or inside?""It's being set up outside, bu
"Do you mind? I have to get cleaned up, and I heard someone say something about breakfast." He'd heard it too since the staff member had announced it just a few seconds ago. He eased back and away from me, barely giving me enough room to pass. "I'll wait here for you.""You don't have to; I'm sure I'll find it. Didn't she say we were eating outside?"When he didn't answer, I looked back at him, ready to get annoyed. "What? You don't trust me to be on my own in this big old fancy house?" There was a look that crossed his face very fleetingly, but not fast enough for me to miss it. He looked almost…pained. What the hell is wrong with him?"It's not that. I don't want you facing all of them alone…look, it doesn't matter, just go get dressed and I'll be right here to walk up with you." I wanted to say something snippy back to him like I didn't need him, but that look gave me pause. He seemed genuinely worried about me facing a roomful of strangers on my own.I, on the other hand, c
Why do I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop in this place? I feel like I've fallen down the rabbit hole, but I've never done drugs, not willingly at least, and not since the ones that had been foisted on me to keep me in line came to an end with my escape. Yet, it feels like I've lived ten lifetimes in the few days I've been here.I'm warily cautious of accepting both Jason and the doctor's words that I'm pregnant, but he seems so sure. Even the way he touched me just now was different, so there's no doubt that he believes his own words. I don't feel any different, obviously, since we'd only just started having sex, and as far as I know, it would be way too early to tell. But if I add up all the strange things that have transpired in the last few days, I guess this would fit right in."How are you feeling?" Mr. Lyon drew my attention from watching Jason's retreating back."I'm fine; why does everyone keep asking me that?""The longer you're here, the more you'll come to re
Roxana was grumpy and fretful after the doctor left, and I knew most of it was due to the fact that I'd kept her up all night and into the early morning, plus the added excitement of the last few hours. Still, I had to fight her to stay in bed, which she did only after I manhandled her stubborn ass into compliance. I learned a neat new trick in the meantime and feel no shame in using that sh*t to my advantage going forward.It seems like as much as she wants to deny both mine and the doctor's assumption that she's pregnant, the mere possibility has put her in a bind. The very mention of her needing to rest because of her condition, something I have no idea about, to be honest, was enough to make her settle down and do as she's told.Since it was my first time seeing an obedient Roxana, I'm not yet a hundred percent sure that it wasn't a fluke, but I can't wait to test it out. Now I find myself looking back at her every few minutes from my place at the desk where I was once again go
I looked up at the wall where he'd hung my family crest along with the others, still not used to the idea that some ancestor of mine was a sellout who'd saved some asshole king that was probably not worth it. I'd threatened my kids with death if they spread this sh*t , but I know it won't last. It's only a matter of time before I have to deal with their mother and her sh*t ."Turn it off, Lyon." I hit the off switch, and we were treated to the women's laughter as they congratulated themselves on getting one over on us again. Then they started their sh*t again."Where did you say this person is? What prison?""California City Correctional, why?""No reason! As you said, you're a FED, not much you can do. Why are we talking about this anyway? I thought we were discussing Roxy's thing." Flanagan got restless in his seat as his wife's words came through the speaker."What is it?" I asked, but he just gritted his teeth and shook his head."She's up to something; she changed the
"Kat, that was a very impressive sigh; what's up?""Nothing much; I'm just wondering where I can get a pregnancy test on this island.""Why don't you have one of the million doctors they have running around here take a look?""Have you met my husband, Cierra? He'd have to vet that poor person for a week before he'd let that happen. Besides, that's not why I'm sighing. I'm almost certain that I am anyway I don't need confirmation.""Then why the sigh?""I just realized that since we got married, I'm either always pregnant or has just given birth.""So? I thought you loved having kids." "It's not that; I do love having babies, it's just… it's been a while since I've had a good spanking." There was a lot of hooting and hollering followed by a chorus of agreement from the other women, and that's when I turned the screen off. "For f*ck sake!" The other men in the room started laughing their idiot heads off like they hadn't heard their women jumping on the bandwagon with my
"Geez, I need to sit down." I did, but I didn't, so I watched for a little while longer until the two of them headed in the direction of the stables. It was almost half an hour later when I intercepted Catalina on her way to the lab. "Hey, kiddo, how's it going?""Uncle Hank." She ran over and wrapped her arms around my thighs."Hi uncle Hank, did the plane leave yet?""He's almost ready, I wanted to talk to you about that, but there's something else I wanted to talk to you about first. Catalina, those words you gave the senator, where did you hear that song?""Grandpa always listens to that stuff when he's doing one of his experiments."What experiments?""With the grow.""You…""Don't worry, uncle Hank; I've never seen grandpa smoking before; he always goes into the other room.""If you haven't seen him, how do you know that that's what he's doing?" She gave me a look that made me feel stupid. "Sorry I asked." I waited a couple beats before carrying on."Catalina
In the room around me, the men were going over plans for the next few days. Lyon was adamant that he would have the information out of Roxana by then, and I'd already got the specs on the place on the Hudson so that we could synchronize a hit.It hadn't been hard because the idiots, either to be funny or in a show of arrogance, had chosen to use a place that had been used for the same vice in history. The house, or rather mansion, was on the historical society list, which meant getting the blueprints and other pertinent information had been a breeze.It's also a known fact that a lot of these homes that were built by the wealthy during a certain time period in the country's history had a lot of hidden pockets that didn't show up on paper. I have the historical research team working on that as we speak. Since this place is so close to the water, I wouldn't be surprised if there was an underground network of some kind running from the mansion to the river.Since the SEALs had run i
When she covered her tummy with her hand, I covered hers with mine, and we both held the place where I was sure my seed had taken root inside her. "Jason?" I don't think I've ever heard her voice sound so thin and afraid. I wasn't expecting fear. Anger sure, annoyance, any of those things I could've dealt with, but the sound of fear in my otherwise fearless beauty was almost too much for me to bear."What is it, love?" I had to clear my throat a time or two to remove the frogs."I don't know anything about babies. I wasn't going to stay here. What am I going to do?" I got the feeling that that last was more to herself than me, so I concentrated on the rest of what she said. I imagine that, like me, she was thinking about all that she'd been through and worrying about bringing a child into a world where such things were possible, so I went with that first."We'll learn everything we need to to make sure that the little one is safe and happy. I've helped raise my nieces and nephews
Now all those times I'd seen them with a kid strapped onto their chests since we've been here was starting to make sense. I've seen my brother with his kids, of course, but never knew that there were others like him. Now I see why these rough and tumble men were so soft when it came to their wives and kids.When they're yours, your woman, your blood, it changes everything. I feel such a strong sense of protection already for both of them. "I have to get back to her, but I'm going to need a new workspace; I'm not doing any of this around her after today. Mr. Lyon, sir, whatever you're going to do to get her to give you the information, please do it quickly.""Mister? Sir?" The guy is a real grump, like his dad said earlier. I don't know what came over me. Maybe I was overly excited about the baby, but I'd heard him threaten death and mayhem to anyone who said the next words that came out of my mouth, and it still didn't stop me. "I'm sorry, your highness." The room erupted with laug
No sooner had the word left my lips than the women descended like sharks scenting blood in the water. I didn't think I'd spoken that loud, and where the hell did they come from. "Are you sure, Jason?" My brother asked from behind me, and I nodded. I know it's stupid, and I can't explain it, but I know that she's carrying my seed, which is all it is at this point.There was a fire starting under my palm, a kind of electric buzz running up my arm where we touched. My head spun with emotion, and I felt the connection deep. Like something inside her, my son or daughter, holding me there by her side. I caught her when she faltered, her eyes never leaving mine. "Pregnant?" The word was a mere whisper from her lips, and I nodded, too choked up for words.I picked her up while she was still in a daze and less apt to strike. "Ash!" I looked around for my sister and saw a line of women watching us with smiles on their faces. "You and the others follow me." I haven't the first clue what to d